Hamtramck Festivals and Events

Pączki Day

Paczki Day (aka Fat Tuesday) may sound like an excuse to grab a dozen doughnuts, but it is so much more. The paczki is a Polish doughnut. In other words, it is fried dough filled with fruit preservatives or sweet cream and topped with powdered sugar or glaze. Historically, Fat Tuesday was an opportunity for Polish Catholics to eat all the sugar, eggs and lard in their house before Lent. Whether Catholic or not, however, Detroiters knew a good holiday when they tasted it and headed to Hamtramck — the city that has in the past made Fat Tuesday a week-long holiday. There is a good reason Detroiters head to Hamtramck: the city’s many Polish bakeries don’t stop at one or two varieties of the paczki. In addition to eating paczki, Detroiters can head to Hamtramck to simply celebrate them. The Paczki Run is a 5K run through Hamtramck on the Saturday before Paczki Day. The event is apparently aimed at helping people make room for those paczki.

Hamtramck Music Festival

The Hamtramck Music Festival is an annual event held during the first weekend of March. It is said to be the largest festival of its kind in this region. This multi-day festival features nearly 200 performances that take place in over 20 venues throughout the City of Hamtramck. The non-profit event where all bands donate their time, supports local music charities and music education for youth. www.hamtramckmusicfestival.com

St. Florian Strawberry Festival

Held annually in the first weekend in May at grounds at St. Florian Church.

Hamtramck Labor Day Festival

Held Labor Day weekend, ending with the Polish Day Parade on Labor Day. Live music on three stages, carnival area, beer, and food tents line a half mile stretch of Joseph Campau from Caniff to Carpenter.